Man jumped out of window to flee village disorder in Auchinleck

A man forced to jump out the window of his flat to escape fireworks says he "feared for his life" during disorder in an Ayrshire town.

Kyle Drummond said he was lucky to avoid injury when violence broke out in Auchinleck at the weekend.

Police in riot gear were called in to disperse "hostile" crowds in the Heathfield Road area on Saturday evening.

Several people have since been arrested in connection with the incident.

Officers with riot shields and helmets were also seen in nearby Cumnock on Sunday as part of their inquiries.

Mr Drummond said a wooden panel "exploded" when fireworks were shot at the property where he had been living with his brother for six months.

A plant pot was also thrown through the window during the attack, forcing him to escape the ground floor property via the back window.

He told BBC Scotland News he did not know why his home had been targeted.

"I was fearing for my life, I had to run away," he said.

"The two rockets came through the wood and it just exploded. I could have been burnt. It gave me a real fright.

"I was really feart of not getting out that back window.

"Whatever happened is nothing to do with me, I don't know why they are targeting me."

A police officer injured by a brick during the unrest had to be treated in hospital.

Police Scotland said it was "completely unacceptable" that officers were attacked while doing their jobs.

The force said there were several reports of incidents in the Auchinleck area on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but could not say what had sparked the disorder.

Natalie Carmichael, from The Nest community group in Cumnock, said the scenes and widespread clips shared on social media had caused unease among residents.

She said: "People are scared to go out and do their shopping. Those with young families are really anxious.

"They are scared of the repercussions. There's been an undercurrent for quite some time but it has all come to a head."

David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland that incidents were more likely to escalate when there were not enough police officers based in a community.

"If we had more police officers and community police officers in these areas then intelligence would be there that would perhaps stop incidents like this.

"However we have a £2bn shortfall over the last ten years and, with the cuts we are currently coming under, I can't see how the police service are going to get that back."

Are you in the Auchinleck area? Have you been affected by the disorder? If you're willing to speak to a BBC journalist, get touch here.